PARIS: French champions Paris Saint-Germain are near to reaching an agreement for Zinedine Zidane to replace Mauricio Pochettino as coach, French media reported on Friday.
According to radio station Europe 1, an agreement in principle is in place between the club and 49-year-old Zidane for the former Real Madrid boss to join ahead of the new season.
Contacted by AFP, a PSG source refused to confirm or deny the reports.
Pochettino has a year left on his contract and led the Qatari-backed side to the Ligue 1 title last term but they were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid in the last 16.
The club’s Qatari owners are desperate to win European club football’s premier competition and Zidane guided the Spanish giants to the trophy three seasons in a row between 2016 and 2018.
A World Cup winner with France in 1998, Zidane won the Champions League as a player with Real in 2002.
As coach he had two spells in charge of Madrid, winning his hat-trick of Champions Leagues in his first stint as well as one La Liga title, two Club World Cups, two UEFA Super Cups and a Spanish Super Cup.
He walked out of Real in 2018 but was reappointed in March 2019 and won another La Liga title in 2020 before departing again the following year.
Zidane was in Paris at the same time as the Emir of Qatar for last month’s Champions League final at the Stade de France, which was won by Real against Liverpool.
Earlier, PSG announced the arrival of Luis Campos as their football adviser to replace the departed Leonardo.
The 57-year-old Portuguese super-scout built the Monaco team that denied PSG the title in 2017 and knows Kylian Mbappe well as the striker was emerging in the principality at the same time.
Campos then became the genius behind the scenes at Lille, helping them build a team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 crown last year before departing.
“I am delighted to be joining Paris Saint-Germain, which I consider is the most ambitious and exciting club in world football,” Campos said in a PSG statement.
“I believe strongly in and share the vision of the club and I cannot wait to get started to further unleash the great potential of this exceptional club.”
The new French top-flight season begins on the weekend of August 6 and 7.
A week before that champions PSG will play French Cup winners Nantes in the Trophee des Champions, the traditional curtain-raiser to the French season, in Tel-Aviv, Israel.
Zidane close to joining PSG as coach: reports
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Zidane close to joining PSG as coach: reports
- An agreement in principle is in place between the club and 49-year-old Zidane
- Contacted by AFP, a PSG source refused to confirm or deny the reports
Real Sociedad end Barca winning streak to tighten Liga title race
- The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table
SAN SEBASTIAN, Spain: Real Sociedad damaged Barcelona’s title defense ambitions as Goncalo Guedes gave them a surprise 2-1 La Liga victory on Sunday as Hansi Flick’s side fell to a first defeat in 12 matches.
The Catalan giants, who hit the woodwork four times and had two goals disallowed, now only lead rivals Real Madrid by a single point at the top of the table after Alvaro Arbeloa’s side beat Levante on Saturday.
Hosts Real Sociedad, now unbeaten in four games under new American coach Pellegrino Matarazzo, had Carlos Soler sent off late on but managed to hold on to triumph and climb up to eighth.
“I think we deserved to win today, we had a lot of chances, but in the end you have to put them away,” Barca midfielder Frenkie de Jong told DAZN.
“We played well but we didn’t win... their goalkeeper had a very good game.”
Sociedad shot-stopper Alex Remiro made several crucial saves.
“Three great points and a great game,” said Remiro.
“We’ve started this year in great form... this is the energy we have, how we’ve changed (recently).”
In a frantic start to a compelling game at the rainy Reale Arena, both teams had goals ruled out.
La Real had the ball in the net inside 30 seconds when Mikel Oyarzabal headed home Guedes’s cross, but had strayed offside.
At the other end, Barcelona’s Fermin Lopez drilled home from range but Dani Olmo had committed a foul in the build-up and it was ruled out.
With teenage winger Lamine Yamal keen to take on defenders, Barca got in often down the right flank. The 18-year-old teed up Olmo who fired high over the bar when he might have sent the Catalans ahead.
Yamal found the net himself but the goal was ruled out for an extremely tight offside, before Real Sociedad took the lead against the run of play.
Oyarzabal lashed home Guedes’s cross with a blistering volley inside Joan Garcia’s near post.
Yamal was felled just inside the area before half-time but although the referee pointed to the spot, a VAR review showed that the youngster was offside again and it was canceled out.
Remiro heroics
Barcelona turned up the pressure in the second half and Real Sociedad were left depending on Remiro and the frame of the goal to keep the Catalans at bay.
Olmo crashed a shot against the post from Lopez’s cross and then Remiro denied the Barca midfielder with a fine near-post save.
Remiro then tipped substitute Robert Lewandowski’s header against the crossbar with the save of the night.
Another Barca substitute, Marcus Rashford, eventually pulled the champions level, heading Yamal’s cross home after 70 minutes.
However, the hosts immediately regained their advantage after Barca goalkeeper Garcia initially saved Carlos Soler’s shot. The midfielder was able to gather the rebound and cross for Guedes, who fired La Real ahead again.
They should have got a third when Garcia, out of his goal, had no chance of saving Oyarzabal’s effort but Pau Cubarsi headed the ball off the line.
Barcelona came within centimeters of an equalizer when Joao Cancelo, on his second debut for the club, crossed for Jules Kounde, who headed against the crossbar.
Soler was dismissed for an ugly foul on Pedri before nine minutes of stoppage time were added on.
Rashford hit the post directly from a corner kick as Barca pushed until the end but could not find a way through.
